How to Deal with Criticism

These past few days I thought a lot about this topic!!! Why??? Because sooner or later haters/trolls / angry customers, you can call them whatever you want, find us all! If you are a blogger, creative person, small business owner, no matter how good your product is – you will meet these nasty trolls!

When it comes to social media, I think I’m one of the lucky ones because I never received a negative or hurtful comment because people who follow me on Instagram know me well, I always talk to them like with my friends and open up about my business, personal life and creative challenges.

I share my art and online classes on different platforms and I really love doing that because the feedback and support from customers and students is truly amazing and encouraging! So why do I sound like I’m familiar with criticism? Well, if you share your art online, you know that 99% of your customers are the sweetest and the most amazing people but there is always 1% that just pops out from nowhere and try to ruin your life (maybe I sound too dramatic, but that’s how it felt at the beginning).

No matter how many positive reviews you receive, the most memorable is the negative one. Isn’t it sad???

When you get a negative feedback on your product, it feels like the end of the world, you feel crushed, angry, devastated and you don’t want to create any more. Does it sound familiar?

And I get it, girl! Being a creative person means that you put your heart and soul into creating something and you truly believe that this product is the best and it will help others or bring joy to the person who purchases it. And when a complete stranger comes and leaves negative comment, we take it really really personal.

When you’re a creative entrepreneur, and you’re putting your work online, you are going to have haters. And that’s just the reality of running an online business, and even if I sound like a broken record, let me repeat again-sooner or later YOU WILL receive a negative feedback and I want you to be prepared.

So how to deal with criticism gracefully and not to get to the level of these people?

First, take a deep deep breath!!!! Don’t you even think about crying, smashing your phone and screaming that you quit!

Ask yourself if it’s a constructive or destructive criticism. If it’s a constructive criticism – take a step back, calm yourself down and when your mind is clear and there is no anger, handle the situation. Just keep in mind that some people even if they want to help you and point on some mistakes, they may use the wrong way to approach the problem and sound rude.

Dealing with haters: don’t respond! Don’t waste your positive energy! Some people just feed on a negative energy and they want to see your reaction and want to be noticed. If you can, delete the comment, block this person and try to forget about what happened!!! I know that your first reaction is to defend yourself and write them back but that’s exactly what they want from you! People who hid behind closed accounts and try to bring you down by spreading their negativity will never archive the level of your success, they want to convince you that you are not talented enough. Don’t let them!!! Delete-Block-Forget!!!! That’s the biggest punishment to them!

Instead of thinking about them and doubting yourself, spend this time on creating what you love and building your success!

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I'm Elena Fay, fashion illustrator and watercolor artist. I have a passion for creating art tutorials, fun illustrations, coloring pages and encouraging others to pursue their creativity. I'm so delighted to have you here! Grab a cup of coffee or tea and take a look around! Here you’ll find free downloads, art tutorials, behind the scene videos and so much more to spark your inspiration!